CHAPTER 112: ARRIVAL

The game concluded, the last of Kofi’s ridiculous lies hanging in the air.

’He saved me,’ Thea thought, her hands still clenched tightly in her lap. The intense focus of the group had shifted away from her, and the quiet space she was left in felt like a sanctuary. She risked a glance at Kofi, who was now engaged in a low-volume, pointless argument with Nina about the definition of "culinary arts." He did not look at her, he did not act like he had done anything significant, but Thea knew. ’He saw I was scared, and he just... fixed it.’ It was a new and strange sensation, being protected without being pitied.

Kofi felt the group’s dynamic settle into a new, more comfortable rhythm. ’Okay, crisis averted. Nina’s happy because she got to play a game, Jake and Ruby are actually talking, and Thea didn’t completely shut down. This is manageable.’ He was beginning to understand that managing this group was like playing a real-time strategy game with unpredictable units. The key was not to have a grand strategy, but to constantly adapt to the small, shifting needs of each person.

---

On the second bus, Yuna sat alone, her headphones clamped over her ears, the music a wall of noise meant to keep the world out.

’A collection of social anomalies.’ The words she had thrown at Kofi felt hollow now. She had seen Thea, the so-called "sad story," and there was a quiet strength there that Yuna had not expected. She replayed the moment in the supermarket, the quiet recommendation for the jasmine tea. It was a memory, a piece of a life that had nothing to do with tragedy. ’Her mother used to drink it.’

A sudden, unwelcome memory of her own mother surfaced, a sharp pang of something she refused to name, and she quickly pushed it down, turning the volume on her music up until it was a punishing, thought-drowning roar.

She felt a presence and opened her eyes. At the front of the bus, the boy from the supermarket was talking to one of the teachers. Ren. His movements were economical, his expression a mask of polite indifference. She had not seen him in class for two years, ever since the incident.

Ren was a member of the kendo club. He was a prodigy, the kind of person who seemed to master anything he touched with a casual, almost insulting ease. They had grown up in the same neighborhood, their families distantly acquainted. They were not friends, not anymore.

He finished his conversation and turned, his gaze sweeping over the bus seats as he walked back down the aisle. His eyes met hers for a fraction of a second. There was no recognition, no emotion. It was like looking at a stranger. He continued to the back of the bus and sat down, alone.

Yuna turned her head to face the window, her reflection showing a girl with a pale, still face. ’He doesn’t remember. Or he’s pretending not to. I don’t know which is worse.’

Ren settled into his seat, pulling a book from his bag. It was a dense, academic text on European military history. He was aware of Yuna’s gaze, but he ignored it. ’She’s still here. Still a member of that stupid club.’ The memory of her from two years ago was a faded photograph in his mind, a girl with shorter hair and eyes that were not so... empty. He opened his book to a marked page. ’It has nothing to do with me.’

---

Back on the first bus, the peace was shattered by Nina leaning so far into the aisle she was practically in Kofi’s lap.

"Okay, new topic," she announced, her voice a loud whisper. "On a scale of one to ten, how likely is it that Jake tries to impress Ruby by wrestling a bear?"

Kofi did not even look up from his manga. "Seven. But only if he thinks the bear is an expert on ancient civilizations."

"I’m right here, you guys," Jake’s voice came from the seat behind them. "And for the record, I would not wrestle a bear. I would engage it in a respectful dialogue about its habitat."

Ruby let out a small, quiet laugh. "I think the bear would appreciate that."

Jake’s entire posture seemed to straighten at the sound of her laugh. He turned slightly in his seat to face her. "So, you said your grandfather was a cartographer? That’s really cool. Did he teach you how to read the old maps?"

’Okay, normal topic. I can do this. Just ask a question and then listen to the answer. No tier lists.’

Ruby’s own expression softened, a genuine, unguarded smile appearing for the first time. "Yeah, he did. He used to show me his collection when I was little. He had maps from the sixteenth century. The ones with sea monsters drawn in the oceans."

"No way, that’s awesome," Jake said, his own nerdy enthusiasm breaking through his anxiety. "Did they have, like, ’Here be dragons’ written on them?"

"Sometimes," she said, her voice full of a fond memory. "He taught me how to read the compass rose, and how to tell the age of the paper by the watermarks."

"That’s a real skill," Jake said, completely serious. "Like something out of an adventure movie."

Nina listened to them, a satisfied smirk on her face. She leaned back across the aisle toward Kofi. "Look at that. Operation: Don’t Be a Creepy Weirdo is a success. He’s talking about maps, not bread. You’re a genius, Commander."

"Stop calling me that."

"Never."

She settled back into her seat, a comfortable silence falling over their section of the bus again. Thea had put her earbud back in, her head resting against the cool glass of the window, her eyes half-closed as she watched the mountains slide by. She was not asleep, but she was calm.

Kofi looked over at her, then across the aisle at Nina, who was now trying to discreetly take a picture of Jake and Ruby without them noticing. His life was a chaotic, unmanageable mess. He had a sister who was not his sister, a friend who was not just a friend, and a wingman mission that had a fifty-percent chance of ending in a restraining order.

The bus rounded a sharp curve in the road, and through a break in the trees, they all saw it for the first time. Below them, nestled in a wide, green valley, was a massive, glittering expanse of blue water. Lakeview.

The quiet lull of the bus was broken by a collective gasp from the students.

"Whoa," Jake breathed from the seat behind.

Even Thea’s eyes snapped fully open, her quiet awe visible as she stared down at the lake. It was bigger and more beautiful than any picture she had ever seen.

The bus began its slow descent into the valley, and a new, quiet excitement began to build. The long, strange journey was almost over. A new, even stranger one was about to begin.

The students began to file out of the bus, a slow-moving river of teenagers and oversized duffel bags spilling into the crisp mountain air.

Ms. Lail stood on the first step of the bus, clipboard in hand. "Alright, everyone, listen up! The cabins are up the gravel path to the left. The boys’ cabins are on the north side, girls’ on the south. Each cabin holds four students. Find your assigned cabin, drop your gear, and then meet back at the main lodge for orientation in one hour."

Kofi’s group gathered their bags from the undercarriage of the bus, a small, awkward island in the sea of excited students.

’Okay, this is the first hurdle,’ Kofi thought. ’We need to stick together.’

Nina adjusted her sunglasses, her gaze sweeping over the group. ’Right, time to take charge. If I leave them to their own devices, Jake will start talking about bread again and Thea will try to merge with a tree.’

Ms. Lail began reading from her list, her voice cutting through the chatter. "Cabin four, for the boys: Kofi Dameire, Jake..."

Jake gave Kofi a quick, nervous thumbs-up.

"...Leo and Mark."

"Alright," Ms. Lail continued, moving to the next page. "Cabin seven, for the girls: Nina Shoka, Ruby..."

’Come on, come on, put us together,’ Nina thought, her fingers crossed inside her pocket.

"...and Jessica."

Nina froze. ’You have got to be kidding me.’ The name landed like a stone in a quiet pond.

"Thea will be in Cabin nine," Ms. Lail announced, already moving on to the next name.

’Shit,’ Kofi thought, his eyes immediately finding Thea. ’This is the worst possible outcome.’ Thea had gone completely still, her face pale, the fragile progress they had made on the bus trip shattering in an instant.

Nina was already moving, her expression a mask of cold fury as she intercepted Ms. Lail near the path. "Absolutely not. I am not rooming with that snake."

Kofi was right behind her, putting a hand on her arm. "Nina, calm down. Making a scene won’t help."

"Kofi, the assignments are final," Ms. Lail said, her tone one of tired authority. "I can’t just move people around because of personal drama."

"It’s not just drama," Kofi said, his voice quiet but firm. "It’s about Thea. And Jessica. You know what happened at school. Putting Nina with Jessica is just asking for a fight."

Ms. Lail looked from Kofi’s serious face to Nina’s furious one, then over to where Thea was standing alone, looking like a ghost. She let out a long, weary sigh. The potential for paperwork was high with this group.

"What do you propose?"

"Swap Thea into cabin seven," Kofi said. "She’ll be with Nina and Ruby. It’s safer for everyone."

Ms. Lail considered this for a moment. It was a simple change. It would prevent a likely and very loud confrontation later. She made a quick scratch on her clipboard with her pen. "Fine. But you all are responsible for making sure there is no trouble. Understood?"

"Understood," Kofi said.

He walked back to the group, a small sense of victory cutting through his exhaustion. "It’s handled. Thea, you’re with Nina and Ruby."

Nina’s furious expression melted into one of surprised relief. "Seriously? How did you do that?"

A wave of quiet gratitude washed over Thea. She looked at Kofi, a silent thank you in her eyes.

The path to the cabins was a wide, gravel trail that wound through a grove of tall pine trees. The air smelled clean, a sharp scent of sap and damp earth. From a distance, Kofi saw Yuna get her cabin key. She was alone, which seemed to be by design. Ren was nowhere to be seen.

The boys’ cabins were simple, rustic buildings made of dark wood. Kofi and Jake found Cabin Four, dropped their bags inside, and met back on the path. The girls’ cabins were a little further up the trail. They waited as Nina, Ruby, and Thea found Cabin Seven and disappeared inside.

Nina pushed open the door to Cabin Seven, a gust of stale, pine-scented air greeting them. The interior was simple: two sets of bunk beds with thin mattresses, a small wooden table, and a single window that looked out into the dense woods.

"Okay, it’s not a five-star hotel, but it’s not a horror movie set, either," Nina announced, tossing her designer suitcase onto a bottom bunk with a decisive thud. "I call this one."

Ruby followed her in, placing her own neat duffel bag on the bunk above Nina’s. "It’s kind of cozy."

Thea was the last to enter, her new bag held tightly in her hands. She stood just inside the doorway, her eyes scanning the small room as if it were a potential trap. The space felt small, enclosed. Claustrophobic.

’Four beds. Three people. One empty space where a stranger was supposed to be.’

"You can take that one," Nina said, gesturing with her head toward the other bottom bunk. "The view is probably just more trees, but at least no one is sleeping above you."

Thea walked over and set her bag down on the designated mattress. She did not unpack. She just stood there.

Nina watched her for a second. ’Okay, she’s in full scared-cat mode again. Time for a distraction.’ She unzipped her suitcase, revealing a perfectly organized collection of clothes and an entire bag dedicated to skincare products.

"Alright, first order of business: unpacking and claiming our territory," Nina declared, pulling out a fluffy pink towel. "Ruby, you get the top drawer. Thea, you get the bottom one. I’ll take the closet because I have the most stuff and I am the commander of this operation."

Ruby gave a small smile and started to unpack her own bag, her movements neat and methodical. Thea, however, remained frozen by her bunk.

Nina let out a quiet sigh. "Hey," she said, her voice a little softer. "You okay?"

Thea jumped, startled. "...I’m fine."

"Liar," Nina said, but her tone was not accusatory. "Look, I know this is a lot. New place, weird people, the lingering threat of Jessica staging a hostile takeover. It’s stressful. But you’re with us. We’re your team. No one is going to mess with you here. I promise."

Thea looked from Nina’s determined face to Ruby’s quiet, reassuring one. ’They’re not like Jessica. They’re not like the others.’ She finally gave a small, jerky nod.

"Okay," she whispered.

She knelt and unzipped her duffel bag. Inside, her few new clothes were neatly folded, just as Kofi had shown her. She took them out, one by one, and placed them in the empty drawer. It was a small, simple act, but it felt like she was claiming a piece of this new, strange world as her own.